Ubuntu enters smartphone market

The smartphone market will be home to a new model, the world’s first Ubuntu phone. It is being pitched as a device that puts “content at the heart” of the experience. It will available online at BQ.

Dubbed the Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition – which is produced by Canonical – the slim device comes with a 4.5-inch screen and unique interface.This offers users a radically different way of accessing “the most important digital life services”.

This includes things like the web, social media, local services and photographs. The key difference from other smartphones is that it is reinterprets apps and is “a world away from buying content and services inside multiple apps in an icon grid”.

“The launch of the first Ubuntu smartphones is a significant milestone,” commented Jane Silber, chief executive officer at Canonical.

“The new experience we deliver for users, as well as the opportunities for differentiation for manufacturers and operators, are a compelling and much-needed change from what is available today. We’re excited that a rising star like BQ has recognised this opportunity and is helping us make it a reality.”

Other features on the new smartphone include a five megapixel front camera and an eight megapixel rear camera. It comes with autofocus, dual flash and full HD (1080).

Commenting on the news, Dave Cook, chief digital officer at TimeOut, said: “We’re excited to see Ubuntu phones arrive in the market. With a completely new approach to content delivery, it is bucking the app trend, making the first steps to bringing a new phone to market possible.”